The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-26
THE ART OF EMBALMING.
How Bodies of the Dead Are Preserved I
Future Generations.

How Bodies of the Dead Are Preserved for
Future Generations.
Rochester Morning Herald.
Said reporter to prominent undertaken yes
terday. Il suppose this warm weather will cause
you to get out your refrgerators"
well, it would few years ago. but now you
know we never Ice for preserving body ex-
cept IN few cases where the friends or relatives
object to our embalming It"
That is more expensive, though, is it notl2
''Oh, no; the cost is about the same and the
trouble Is much less. Now, you see. in using ice
we have big box to carry around, and where
we have three or four cases at the same time we
would be obliged to have several coolers, but by
the new way of preserving here is all We have to
carry" and he laid his hand on what looked like
sample case such as is ordinarily carried by
LIQUOR salesman,
On opening the case it bore striking resem-
blapce to a surgeons case, except that
s lie there were three quart bottles filled with
milky-looking fluids The instruments consisted
OF small kfe, lancet, such as is used by
physicians in tapping and syringe with .
great variety of nozzles. This" said the I'M
dertaker. picking up the syringe. sis the princl
pal thing used, and the nozzles are used in just
as many ways as there are nozzles. Now we use
tins nozzle when We do not intend to do regular
job of embalming, but simply to preserve the
body day or two, and it is used for injecting
the fluid into the stomach. This is for hypo-
dermic injection, this for vein, this for an ar
terry, and this is used for what we call initiating.
That is. if the person has been sick long time
and is very thin in the face. we may nsertth this
IN the face under the ear and force certain
fluid into the face to give it round appearance"
Then understand that it is not necessary to
fill the veins and arteries in order to preserve
body for few daysN
Not by any means. OF course, it depends
very much on the condition of the body when
given into hands. but ordinarily we inject
into the stomach and intestines, anc into the
head through the nose and ears. In a thorough
job, where the body has to be Kept number of
days in warm weather, we fill the arteries, and
in case of the sudden death of vigorous per-
son, We usually have to draw out the blood first
but we do not inject the eubalming fluid Till the
animal warmth has left the body"
How long will a body retain its natural APP
pearaace that has been thoroughly treatedl"
Il can hardly say All the way from one year
to ten, or even more, and expect if embal med
would keep till it was destroyed by outside
agencies. / have removed bodies that have been
buried three or four years that were perfect,
only they were covered with mold"
How long has the custom Of preserving bod
les in this manner been common among under
takers!p
'It's only been in general use about FIVE or six
years, although the art OF preserving bodies with
solution of sulphate of .alumina was discovered
by Gaunal about 1884 Substitutes for alumna
are now used as sulphate of zinc bismuth and
salts of various kinds. 1t is great art. and one
that undertakers could hardly get along without
now that they have begun praeticing it. Our
method is, to be sure, vastly different from that
Of the ancients, for their idea was to preserve
the body forever, and to do that ali the internal
organs had to be removed, and the flesh was litr
orally dried up. whereas the art OF embalming.
as practicad to-day, is simply to preserve the
| body in natural condition for a limited time